Are air fryers a gimmick

Gimmick will imply air fryers are just a novelty when in reality people across the globe are now prioritizing air fried food over oven or microwave cooking.

Air fryers are here to stay with their popularity growing rapidly since 2019. You only have to give air frying a chance to realise how well it cooks your favourite oven foods. Soon it will overtake your oven and microwave as the most used appliance, where air fryers take quick meals to a whole new level.

Sure if you are unfamiliar with an air fryer its easy to assume its just a fad for now and will die out in due course, but believe me when I say air fryers are the future.

Air fryer popularity has grown immensely over the last few years and will soon overtake over types of kitchen appliances. I can't attribute this opinion to a reliable source, as its just my opinion, as I really am a big supporter of air fryer cooking.

Gimmick an air fryer isn't for the reason major kitchen appliance manufacturers like Tower and Ninja produce a wide range of models.

With no proof additional models being released annually slowing down, its safe to say air fryers are here to stay.

Air fryers are popular as they are because it only takes a day or two for users to realise how practical air fryers are, with many hundreds of compatible oven foods added to this appliance where it rapidly cooks your favourite oven foods.

In many cases air fryers are better than ovens because the air frying method can't be replicated in a larger oven, which will only burn food. Microwaves unfortunately can't produce crispy food, and thus the air fryer is the go-to device.

As a matter of convenience, you'll find air fryers cook better than ovens, and will be less hassle to reheat food in what could be a matter of minutes.

FUN FACT: It is thought up to 30% of UK households have an air fryer, with many more expected to buy an air fryer in the next year.

Among most used electrical appliance

I can assure you an air fryer isn't one of those situations where you buy a brand new small kitchen appliance - such as a bread maker or panini press - only for it to be put in storage, to never be used again.

Air fryers will grab your attention instantly, as you'll quickly realise how good French fries taste, compared to those cooked in the oven.

Admittedly, air fryers can't cook better than most things a deep fat fryer can, but at least an air fryer will help to keep your waistline where it should be.

With air fryers cooking up fantastic crispy chips, to onion rings and chicken nuggets - among hundreds of other food items - you'll find out for yourself when the oven will be used a lot less after an air fryers early use.

No need to add spray oil to air fryer food or the air fryer basket, and by lining the base with foil or parchment paper, you can prevent a mess developing, and thus avoid needing to clean out the air fryer every time you cook.

A whole new appreciation

I can't say it enough, if you are willing to give an air fryer a chance, you'll soon realise its not a throw-away kitchen appliance everyone is jumping on, but instead you'll find it to be a highly practical and reliable cooking appliance.

To be honest I think you'll find a whole new appreciation for the air fryer, and perhaps like me, you'll soon be making your shopping list based on what cooks well in an air fryer.

I can answer that now for you: what are the best food items you can cook in an air fryer are chunky chips to fries and similar potato items, frozen or chilled breaded or battered foods, plus all kinds of meat, in raw or already cooked form.

Soon you'll feel like your getting your monies worth as you'll begin to use your air fryer for all things intended to be cooked in the oven.

I will admit, not all food items can fit in an air fryer which is one of its disadvantages, but that shouldn't stop you cooking smaller items in an air fryer that is sure to cook food up to a third less than its 'recommended oven' cooking time.

With all kinds of oven food gradually being cooked in the air fryer, don't be afraid to cook chilled or frozen ready meals in an air fryer because not only is it safe to, the results will amaze you.

Food producers catching up

As proof air fryers are not just a gimmick that is sure to disappear in a year or two from now - even if air fryer popularity has grown rapidly for up to 4 years now - let's take a moment to look at producers of chilled and frozen oven foods.

In the early air fryer days there was no kind of instructions provided to us, the consumer, on how to cook food items in an air fryer with what would be instructions included on the packaging - with anything from French fries to breaded fish.

Now major food producers and others are finally catching up in adding those recommended air fryer cooking instructions, even if they are vague or they refer us to the oven cooking time; with a suggestion on adjusting the cooking time to your particular air fryer model.

I would say that is perfectly fine because not a singe air fryer can produce the exact same cooking time and temperature, thus its up to us to use our instincts.

So you see even worldwide food manufacturers can now appreciate the popularity of air fryers, and are now investing time and money providing information on cooking with air fryers on their packaging.

Conclusion

If I am perfectly honest with you, air fryers have proven to not be a gimmick at all, thanks to their rise in popularity over the last few year, with no indication they're going away anytime soon, and for good reason.

Air fryers have found to be the most reliable and practical kitchen appliance you can own; great for quick and easy meals for one or two people, and they don't take up a lot of space.

Really if you give an air fryer a chance with fries to meats and all kinds of ready meals, you'll soon find this appliance to be a valuable piece of kit in your kitchen.

I would be confident enough to say you'll no longer rely on your oven to cook oven fries, because its something an air fryer cooks best of all.

With that, all oven and microwave food manufacturers are beginning to catch up on the rise of air fryers, with air fryer cooking instructions starting to appear on packaging.

I really do love my air fryer and although I am on my third model in the last fours year already, I can never go without it again.

No way am I going back to undercooked or too brown French fries, plus other oven foods that are prone to sticking or cooking poorly in an oven. After weeks of an air fryer use, I am sure you'll feel the same.

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